The Smiling Man By Nick Furnari

          I always loved the horror genre, just everything about it, the eerie suspense, the creepy lore, and of course the fright factor. Naturally, I loved watching all the scary videos and scenes from horror movies that one day in class. I especially liked the 2 AM Smiling Man. It was chilling, creepy, and had an interesting story to tell. After, for the rest of class, we were given the task to write the story of the Smiling Man in our own words, with the main goal being to try and capture the essence of the horror genre in your text. So, without further ado, here was my re-animation of the Smiling Man, I hope you enjoy.

          Lumbering home in the dead of night, traveling on a lone road dimly lit, a sound emerges. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... Soon a figure forms from shadow. Wearing a sleek beige suit, and tap shoes, it goofily sways closer. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... as it is directly in my path, I wait for it. It appears to be drunk, or maybe putting on a show, I laughed. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... It's unsettling dance continued, tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... the air grew eerie, he gets closer, not missing a beat, tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... His display materializes from the darkness. The smirk from my face fades as I am greeted with it's own offsetting smile. Tap tap, slide... tap, I cut across the open road as I still feel chills climbing up my spine, I have a feeling they were not going away. The pitch stops abruptly, I feel myself turn aback, although I had no intention to. It is frozen, locked on its target, fashioned in an awkward stance, decapitated by darkness. Something tells me its smile still lingers. I continue walking, speeding my pace, as I feel its presence shift behind me. I quickly turn to find it crouching over, stalking in silence. He ascends to his full stature, and suddenly lunges forward. Tap, lunge. Tap, lunge. It approaches closer, resembling more of a creature than a man. Getting closer and closer, slanting to the left. Tap, lung. Tap lunge. He stops... "What the hell do you want?" I feel myself utter. It remains stuck, frozen in place. It grimly twists its head as if puzzled with my response. It shifts its weight and withdraws lethargically. Defeated, or so it seemed. Tap tap, slide... tap, tap tap, slide... A little off balanced. A wave of relief rushes over me, as its slender frame fades into the distance. I can finally breathe, but an ominous presence still lingers. Once its perverse movement is almost inaudible, I felt safe enough to continue my trail. My eyes disengage. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. My head jolts back as the demonic being scrambles towards me. I dart away in fear. Tap TAP-TAP tap, TAP TAp, tAp TAp taP TaP! My pace matches its', but adrenaline fuels my legs. My lungs ache, my breathing rings louder than my feet. My heart is pounding but I continue down and turn off the cursed street. My ears echo the beat of my heart, blocking all other sound. I stop, why? I couldn't tell you. But when I look up, I am faced with the menace once more, the being I can never escape. The only smile that could ever cause me pain.